For all its benefits, the internet also has many significant flaws, one being how easy it is for false news to spread.
According to studies, false news often spreads a lot faster due to how sensational they are, appealing to people’s baser instincts. Fake news could include clickbait, propaganda, poorly fact-checked articles, and imposter content. Here then, is how to spot fake news. (Now, these are not foolproof ways to spot fake news, but they help be alert.)
1. Confirm the source
The first thing you want to do when you come across a news item that sounds very sensational and one that seems to create more shock value is to do some digging.
First, check the web address of the page you are leading. If the news item is from extensions such as .infonet or .offer, then that is suspect.
Also, on twitter or Instagram, where pages can type a story and post it, it is best to try and confirm the story. Tools like Snopes can help you verify stories that sound too good to be true.
2. Who else has picked the story
Now, this is where your discerning mind needs to come into play. So, you have read the story from a not-so-well-known ‘media house.’ Now, before clicking share, try to find out if the more established media houses have picked it up. Reuters, CNN, and BBC have more thorough editorial guidelines and far-reaching networks so if they are not reporting a very sensational story that is quickly spreading online, you might want to hold back first. Now, this is not to say that these media houses are not unbiased, but instead, they will often be more authoritative sources of news than pages like Daily Loud.
3. Examine the evidence
So, there you have an article with a sensational news item. The next thing is to check the facts. Are there quotes from experts, survey data, and official statistics (linked to authoritative websites)? Are there links to more authoritative sites? Check for detailed and consistent accounts across different platforms before sharing any news item that seems too good to be true.
4. Reverse search images
Many fake news will often quickly spread through images, and research shows that half of us are unable to tell fake images from true images. Google’s Reverse Image Search tool is a great asset you verify whether an image has been altered. You can also look out for signs such as shown here.
More tips can be found here but remember, satire or parody are different from fake news and will often be done with intention to be humorous rather than out of malice.